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Part IV: To Chauffeur or not to Chauffeur |
May. 26, 2008
Categorized in: Welcome to my Blog!
Tagged with: improving skills
Happy Memorial Day!
The old saying “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” is especially true when you meet a potential new client. It is more than the tenor of your voice, how you dress, what type of car you drive, or how your office is decorated. Those things are important to various degrees depending on where you work and the type of real estate you practice; but what is the first thing that you do? Do you tell them about you and your company? Do you launch into a description of the property they called on? Or, do you ask them about what they want and what they need out of your relationship – that is what someone who wants to be the “trusted advisor” would choose.
Asking the right questions and listening carefully to their answers is how you make a great first impression.
If you are going to show a potential client that you are not the average agent, start with letting them know, that you first want to meet them at your office. No; every buyer is not going to say “if you won’t show us the property, then we are going to find another agent.” Most will simply say OK and then you set the appointment.
Prior to coming into the office let’s get a couple of things organized:
· Your office space, desk area, and desk top needs to be clear and clean with a comfortable place for the potential client to sit.
· It needs to be a place that if you move to confidential questions, the client can feel their privacy is protected
· You need to make sure that during the meeting your phone, cell phone etc is turned off. If your computer is on, the volume needs to be off as well. The potential client needs to see that they are the focus of your attention and they are not competing for you with the phone, cell phone or computer.
· Make sure that the receptionist knows that when the potential client gets there, you are not to be disturbed.
· Gather the printed materials you might need, such as applicable company and personal brochures, your business cards, agency and/or property disclosure forms, buyer contracts, listing information packets etc.
· Have a file folder with note pad ready for taking notes and filing applicable paper.
I like to suggest that REALTORS® think back to the first time they met their lawyer or CPA; professions who are often looked at as “trusted advisors.”
Now, when they come into the office go to greet them as appropriate and bring them to your office space. Offer them a seat, maybe a cup of coffee, tea or water. Thank them for coming in, and now you are ready to start.
I have written in another post the questions to ask a seller and the questions to ask a buyer; but here they are again:
For the potential seller:
· How many homes have you bought and sold before? What was that selling experience like? When was it? Please, walk me though that process from beginning to end.
· How did that work for you? (You want to know the goods and the bads!)
· Do you know how it works in this market? (Explain concentrating on what they have told you about their past experiences. If they have never sold a home before, make sure that you go through the process, from beginning to end in a complete, but simplified format)
· What do you want to accomplish in the sale of this property? (It is never just about the price!)
For the potential buyer:
· Do you own a home now? Or, have you ever owned a home? If so how many?
· If you have owned a home/s, what was the process like? (ask them questions o you can understand it from beginning to the end)
· How did that work for you? (You want to know the goods and the bads!)
· Do you know how it works here? (Explain concentrating on what they have told you about their past experiences. If they have never owned a home before, make sure that you go through the process, from beginning to end in a complete, but simplified format)
· Do you know what our current market is like? (Be through, but don't speak jargon!)
After you have carefully asked these questions, and asked additional questions based on previous answers, and listened with care; it is time for you to tell them what you will do for them in light of the answers they have just given. (Don’t forget your required agency disclosures!)
It is time for you to use what you came up with from last week’s post; let them know what meaning and value you provide to your clients. Give them the specifics of what you do for your clients; give them why they should use you as their REALTOR®. Talk about your role as their “trusted advisor” and how that benefits them (keeping in mind the answers to the questions you just asked).
This needs to be in writing as well as verbal.
I let them know during our conversation that the decision rights go to them; not me. And I am accountable to them as my client. Most people do not understand what the “client relationship” is all about. I help them to understand my role and how I meet and exceed all requirements in my efforts to be their ‘trusted advisor.”
Next week...proving you have a great reputation!
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